Snakes and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

It is spring! The time of year when all little boys get to re-connect with the outdoors. It has always been a source of consternation for me that little boys seem to need so many rocks and sticks. And alot of dirt. It is just part of the growth ritual to bring collections of rocks, sticks for swords, and bits of brick for car garages all into the house. In the spring too, there is always the snow and rain, not enough usually for the kids to stay inside, but enough to make the dirt into mud. That comes inside too. This photo is Ethan and Seth making a snowman in a recent storm. Which reminds me that it is bulging closet season too. When all the coats and all the jackets and all the boots and even some flipflops are all coexisting in the closets. I don't dare put the boots and coats away yet, but the warm weather clothes have a way of filtering in.

Don't get me wrong, I love it when the boys play outside! They have spent the last two weeks digging in our garden spot. They pretend to plant and weed and report on what is growing. Their imaginations have new fodder and they are busy and happy full time. Speaking of imaginations, however, this is what they made in the kitchen last night while I was concentrating on a new dinner recipe:

Seth calls it water soup. They filled these three doll containers with water, and some Ramen noodles they found (I don't want to know where) and the vegetable scraps from the garbage. They were also excited to score the can opener that I had just trashed in frustration, and they borrowed the ever-favorite Turkey Baster. They had a ball. I took the picture to document their cuteness, but now it has got to be cleaned up, ewww, and all that.

A final word on rocks and sticks and boxes and other toys that cost nothing but make the happiest play things...in this world of media and video games, it makes me smile to see the classics being used.